Mamma Agata Cooking School Visits Washington, DC
You may not have heard about Mamma Agata, but to many, especially globe-trotting celebrities, she is Italy’s darling. She is the one person in the world that they have all agree should cook for them. During her lifetime, she has and still feeds more stars than MGM studio has ever contracted in its heyday. Celebrities like Gore Vidal, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and even non-Hollywood types like Jacqueline Kennedy have all visited her in Italy for dinner. Her cooking is, as Jacqueline once said after enjoying her mozzarella and tomato salad, “eleganza molto simplice” (elegant simplicity). Several years ago for one hour, her cooking program was one of the featured attractions at the once Annual Virginia Wine (and Food) Showcase. Chef and Sommelier Gennaro Petti and Mamma's daughter Chiara Lima, conducted a cooking demonstration, which focused on her mother’s special cooking secrets and personal stories about the rich and famous. Visiting the States, at the invitation of Joe David, she and her husband Gennaro, became an immediate star attraction at the Virginia food and wine showcase. Below is a recipe for risotto, which Chiara and Gennaro prepared and demonstrated exclusively for WUSA-TV viewers.
Risotto con funghi e salsiccia
(Risotto with Mushrooms and Sausage)
Ingredients 1 1/3 cup Carnaroli rice1 small onion (thinly sliced)¾ to l lb sweet Italian sausage3 – 3 ½ oz dried mushrooms6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 tablespoon butter½ cup white wine1 quart vegetable broth
Procedure Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over low heat. Add the onions and cook until golden brown. Once the onions are golden brown, add the rice to the pan and stir the rice until it becomes translucent. This will allow the risotto to begin to absorb the flavors of the onion, butter and olive oil. Add the wine to the risotto and cook for about five minutes, until the wine is absorbed. Add sausage to the risotto and cook for three minutes each side to sear the sausage. Add a ladle of broth to the risotto. Cook the rice in the broth for five to eight minutes per ladle, allowing the rice to absorb the broth before adding more. Add the mushrooms to the risotto and cook for ten more minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Finish it off (optional) by sprinkling a complimenting cheese, such as Parmigiano and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately! Service for 4.
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